n°56 - January 2006

Message from the President

First of all I would like to wish you all the best for the New Year.

As you know, we are planning the General Meeting of the 24th Session to be held next September in Sao Pedro (Brazil). I can confirm that the meeting will be held after the SPRI meeting in spite of the problems which SPRI has encountered following hurricane Katrina which damaged New Orleans. SPRI will not be able to re-open completely until the end of next summer. However, the Managing Director and our friend Mary-An Godshall has assured us that the meetings will nevertheless go ahead. We are very grateful to Mary-An and her staff for rising to the challenge in difficult circumstances. A preliminary registration form for potential delegates is available for download from the ICUMSA web-site. Please take a moment to register now sending a message to the SPRI office at spri@srrc.ars.usda.gov . This will assist in the planning of the meeting even though you will not be committed to attend in any way.

Subject Papers

It is absolutely necessary that the Referees get their reports ready early so that there is sufficient time to distribute them on the ICUMSA web site and for National Committees to discuss them before the General Assembly. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PAPERS IS THE END OF APRIL 2006.

Referee News

Mrs. Veronique Sense is no longer Referee for General Subject GS5 – Cane – because she has changed her job. We have to thank her for her contribution to the work of ICUMSA. I know that French National Committee is trying to find a replacement for Mrs. Sense but I would ask all National Committee to suggest nominations also.

Nominations for President

I need to remind you that at the next General Assembly in Brazil, we will have to choose a new President. I would like to ask National Committees to contact the chairman of the Nomination Committee, Kevin Schaffler, for proposals and suggestions.

New Logotype for ICUMSA

Work has now been completed to develop and distribute the new ICUMSA Logo and design styles to all National Committees. Please would all National Committee Secretaries make sure that the design guides are followed in all future correspondence and publications. This will ensure that ICUMSA’s new image is maintained and that our work is recognised from a design point of view. If anyone has any difficulty with the new designs or their use, they can contact the ICUMSA officers for assistance.